


Two Worlds

by dianutsthecactus



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Angst and Humor, Bureaucracy, Burglar Jean, Character Development, Jinae Kingdom, M/M, Prince Marco, Revolution, Slow Build, So much angst, This is and AU, alternative universe, constitucional monarchy, fucking bureaucrats, i guess i dont know really could be 10 chapters or 100 who knows, i may have given marco anxiety?, im sorry, im sorry???, im such a slut for character development, monarchy AU, royal family, this is a jeanmarco au fanfic what did you spect?, without meaning too?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-05-10 15:11:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5590990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dianutsthecactus/pseuds/dianutsthecactus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The world is divided.<br/>Bureaucracy won and those who aren't beurocrats or part of the Royal Family are all left to take the crumbles the well known families leave behind in our hopeless little town we like to call the Pit. The name suits it. Which is situated right under in the Kingdom of Jinae, filled with wonderful people who are all full of shit.<br/>Jean has had it hard ever since kid and had to learn to live a difficult life filled with struggles and needs, but now it's time to bite the bitch right where it hurt. This was payback time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beggining

**Author's Note:**

> Well hello there, first fanfic ever so be gentle with me i guess? although i wont be with you buahaha!  
> also english isn't my first language so if you see any mistakes do let me know thank you and read...if you dare.

He was running.

It was almost midnight in the filthy streets of the Pit, which was one of the common names that the low society and the streets above the kingdom used, where you could hear the cats fighting all over each other and the occasional yelling from a tavern nearby, but this time the only thing he could hear were his footsteps on the dirty floor, just hoping that the man owner of the butcher shop wouldn't catch him and his stolen piece of meatloaf. Nothing unusual from his daily routine of was being chased by someone who wanted to kill him. So that's how Jean knew the day wouldn't get any better.

 

* * *

 

Ah beautiful morning in the wonderful and amazing Kingdom of Jinae where the streets where full of cheer and hope. That of course for the higher part of the Kingdom, who lived in the nice and clean part of the city, and not the rest of the commoners like us who were left with the garbage from the ones below and where left to live for the rest of their life in that dump of death. How he was saying beautiful morning.

Jean had plans to meet up with Erwin and the other later that night, but it was still early in the morning so he had no rush. Now what to do with his time...It's always a nice time to do some "sightseeing” nears the castle and also look for unfortunate but also rat bastards bourgeois who could be easily fooled by his methods. So the city it is.

To go uptown he had to pass from the big stairs that separated the poor from the rich. The poor usually called them 'the stairs to the stars', that having a totally different meaning to the bourgeois, which only looked like concrete stairs leading to the lowest of the lowest, hoping never having to step a foot in there.

So he climbed them thinking out loud “Oh for what would these people fall for this time”, he said with a smile on his face.

Well now c’mon you're probably thinking I'm a bad guy but you haven't lived or seen what I have. Having seen the lowest and the highest really showed you the truth that are people, and that's that they're all meaningless when it comes to the real deal that is bureaucracy. Those high up's thinking they're better than us when they themselves are no better than scum. A whole city of hatred for the ones below and filled with corruption and lies from the ones above. But oh boy was that about to change.

Before he realized, he had arrived to the Monument Plaza of the city. It was merely represented by the big statue of two gigantic wings that were supposed to represent the fallen heroes of the great wars beginnings, who fought for liberty and honor. Well look where that left us. As I was saying, yes the Monument Plaza, where it’s always bright and clean, so you can pretend there's nothing wrong with the people or the government or life in general.

Great place to steal stuff though.

It was always so full of people, being in the center of the city and all, which made the people here forget all of their problems (As if they had bigger problems than what their butlters are going to make them for dinner pfff please) but on the other hand that made them more easily distracted. Sucked for them but great for me. Papa would like a new shinning knife.

It was a routine for him, lay low, wait around and not looking suspiciouslike the I'm not about to rob you type of guy, yeah stuff like that. "Oh Jackpot." He thought, seeing how an old man arrived from a luxurious vehicle with a cane and monocle to the Plaza.

C’mon sometimes they made it easy on porpoise. Like, begging him to rob them. And that made it easier for Jean.

"Hello sir may I help you with that?" he said with a smile, as he offered a gentle hand with all the baggage the old man was carrying.

"Oh aren't you a nice lad. Kids these days don't have the manners like you do young lad, with all the crime in the streets I don't know what will happen to our beautiful Jinae."

"Yeah, uh don't worry about it." Damn, nice old man. Why do they kept pretending they weren't total shits? Almost made him feel bad to be about to rob him. Almost.

"I'll be going to the Royal Palace Kitchen," said the old man. The Royal Palace Kitchen was the nicest of all the establishment of food you could ever possibly even dream to go. Rich bastard. Who now seemed to look a lot like a raisin with a hat, just saying "Have you heard the latest news boy?"

"No" said Jean, getting real tired of the conversation. And beginning to notice he was getting hungry. 'Damned Old man', he cursed under breath for him and his fancy-ass food.

"The news of the latest paper that has been going on and on about a group of people who appear to be against the Royal Family, can you believe it? Outrageous!"

Oh he knew about that alright. It wasn’t that much of a surprise for the ones of the Pit to hear about uprisings and rumors about tearing down the bureaucrats and the monarchy with it. But he continued to listen while they arrived to the Kitchen.

“They call themselves the Sina’s I believe or something with that name.” said Jean analyzing the ways this could go, which method would he use? The stab and run, Look what's there and then you get robbed, so many options really. But the old man continued.

“More like the sinners alright. This is what'ss wrong with this beautiful country. I’m almost fascinated of how most of the people from down below dare to even have hope to be something more that the scum of life they already are. Oh look we reached the restaurant!”

There it was. Just the little pushed he needed. The dark side in every single one of these people still astonished him but at the same time made him incredibly sick. He would say he still had the little tiny hope things could possibly change some day and stop being the shit they were. But with hope you got nothing, he had learned that long ago. So this was not time to be day dreaming of a perfect life. He had business to do.

Jean passed the language to the old man with anger he had to contain so he could pursue his plan.

“Thank you very much young lad. If I may could I give you a little something for your hard work?” He said as he pulled out his wallet as Jean guessed was full of money.

“Oh that won’t be necessary. I will just take this instead.” He grabbed the wallet and left running, leaving behind the old man standing there and yelling, but it was too late. Jean was already at the end of the street with the biggest smirk of all.

 

* * *

 

By the time he left the plaza he had come close to the stairs but not enough to see the Pit which was down below. It was a place where you couldn’t be too high or too low in the country, where life almost seemed worth it. Also you could see the perfect view of a sunset and the sea close to buildings where families that didn’t had it hard enough habituated. So he chose one of the benches close to the edge on the wall surrounding the city.

He liked to sit there most of the time to observe the sea with all the merchant boats always leaving to somewhere far better than here. But well, that was the specialty of Jinae, trading, selling and anything that could get money into the bureaucrats’ wallets that would also end up in hands of the bourgeois.

Oh. And talking about wallets. He searched for what was inside of the old man’s wallet with a great satisfaction thinking of that man’s face “Tch asshole had it coming.” he said, earning a surprised look of someone passing by, and yearning of not having to see more of those kinds of people that day. And was greatly disappointed to found it almost empty.

“You gotta be kidding me,” Jean said as he extracted the little of money it had inside. “It’s barely enough for a decent meal!” he yelled. But then again he wasn’t accustomed to a nice meal so what the heck it worked anyways, at least he wouldn't die from starvation that day. With all the anger in the world, he threw the pocket of money far and into the sea.

He decided then to just sit there in the edge of concrete looking up all the way to the castle and imagining how life was up there. No, he didn’t desire the kind of life where you become the lowest of people, but dammit that was a pretty goddamn castle.

He remembered the stories an old man in town had told him as kid. Well he wouldn’t say that man was better than the one he had encountered that night but at least he didn’t looked down on people in the low society. There was something about old man. They were always angry for one reason or another. Who knows maybe they had seen enough of the world already and were tired of it, or something like that.

He had told him that he world had been divided in two societies a long time ago. One and the most important Bureaucracy and of course The Royal Family, who had won when they entered and built the entire country, so of course nobody had a saying of why they could rule the entire kingdom for years to come and so on for generation after generation. Such fools they had been back then.

Years and years of looking up the hill, when there was nothing speacial about it and was just a great hill, so it was obvious to mostly everyone that the kingdom should reside at the top. I always wondered how that decision had gone, like “Hey where could we settle down after looking for a safe place?” “Oh gee I don’t know where it would look more powerful than anyone else… hey what about the top of the mountain? That will be easy to build.” “Sounds fine to me.” And that’s how Jinae was found. But now really. Bureaucracy won and we are all left to take the grumbles the well-known families leave behind. But someday oh just you wait Jinae. Someday we are going to bite the bitch right where it hurts and give it what it deserves.

“Well enough about that,” He said as he got up, leaving those thoughts in his mind and looking at the money he had stolen from the old man “at least is enough for bread”

He realized now that it was already noon and the sun was starting to hide, so he figured it was about time he met up with Erwin and the others. But before a little something for the stomach.

“Okay now.” Jean said thinking where to eat. A Bakery he thought, well he knew one… but there was no way in hell he was going to ever step a foot in there or turn to them for something to eat, first he would ate his hand instead of what those pair of idiots sold. And so he continued walking in the streets of the town.

 

* * *

 

After coming out of a nice looking bakery with a piece of bread in his hand he went down town in the Stairs of Hell, as he liked to call them, and as he was about to get to his destination he looked at an alley. That alley. Which was filled with nothing more than bad experiences and awful memories of the past.

“Great,” he thought, sighting “just what I needed.” And as he looked at it, he remembered, and oh how he wished he hadn’t remembered, that just brought him bad memories of not so much time long ago.

I¿Lost in his memory of thoughts, a little kid came from there. Or more like, stumbled, at his feet.

“Hey kid you alright?” he asked as he helped the little infant that couldn’t be more of 7 or 8 year old he guessed.

“Mommie said she be here by noon and she hasn’t arrived… why isn’t mommie here already?” said the kid that now looked like it hadn’t eaten in a lot of days and had started crying.

Well shit. Where are your parents he wanted to ask? No, because you could ask that kind of stuff. Not in here. Not in the Pit because there wouldn’t be an answer to solve the questions of why almost all off the kids here were all orphans, mostly because only the strong ones survived. And this was not the case. Just one of the more fucked up problems this country had. Not strong enough to survive? Then you didn’t get the privilege to live. ife was a privilege only a few herw were allowed to have. Someone had once told him and he had had to learned it himself if he wanted to survive. 

Jean had been there. Hell he didn’t even remembered the last time he had been in that state. But there had been a time like that. A really long one for that matter. Memories of days without sleep from hunger and starvation with only the option to eat the garbage he could find and that being his only meal of the week.

As much of a fucked up person he grew up to be, Jean knew what had to be done. “Hey kid” he said, as the child looked up “Catch it” he said as he threw the bread in the hands of the little one. “Wha-“ was what the kid was trying to say with confusion in his face, but once he looked up Jean was already gone.

So the kid smiled and thanked the gentle stranger in silence and ate it in that alley waiting for his mother. One who sadly was very much likely not to return to him.

 

* * *

 

Well now the moon was already out in the streets, which only meant one thing. Perfect time for some midnight stealing.

 

* * *

Oh where was he? Right, running from the butcher with a knife that had becomed his number one enemy ever since he kindly entered the crappy shop at the end of the street and stole a piece of meatloaf.

Well hey now, he _was_ still hungry and he _had_ to eat something you know.

So running. Lucky for Jean he knew The Pit like the palm of his hand, being born and raised here.

Left, Left, Right, Turn East on garbage container, Right, Turn Left on Joe’s Woodshop next to the broken boat and the ugly one-eyed lady’s house and he was there.

He had lost the butcher long time ago and was now at the entrance of Cantina La Rose, where they had told him to go since morning and was a more of a frequent costumer that he would like to be. “Hard times,” he thought “hard times indeed.” So he descended from the small steps which led to the entrance of the cantina and he entered.

He was hit with the smell of alcohol and sweat from the people who were there and were causing a ruckus in every single one of the tables the bar owned. Nothing unusual. He went to the back of the cantina, ignoring the idiotic drunks and the obnoxious girls who were trying to draw his attention showing her attributes and what not. Not that he didn’t enjoy a good company, but not this time. This was more important. From one way or another he could feel it and also for some reason he just knew it.

He went to the back to the room, located behind the barrels of wine that only a few people knew about, and with all of the costumers ignoring the room and for all the alcohol in their systems or actually truly not caring what his business where in there, he went in.

As entered he saw that they were already there waiting for him. Mikasa greeted him with a smile after he knocked on the door the secret knock that only the people there knew. As always, Erwin was at the back, chatting with Levi about Jinae, politics, the newspapers or what else. It was too noisy in there so Eren should be around somewhere. Strangely he didn’t saw Ymir trying to ridicule him in a state of intoxication from all the beverages she made herself. Just crossing the entrance he soon saw in the piles of bay that there it was no other than Ymir sleeping soundly with a jar of beer in her hand, that wasn’t a new thing to see knowing her.

And _of course_ Sasha and Connie where at the drinking boot, almost falling from their seats as the pair of dumb asses they were.

“JEANNIE BOY!” yelled Sasha as she watched him enter “we’ve been waiting for youuuu.” she said as continuously showed signs that she very clearly had had more than a few jars of beer. Jean was almost surprised that she still could stand up and give him a hug and wouldn’t collapse right there.

“How you been Jeannie my grumpy booooy?” said Sasha with a tint of blush in her cheeks from the beer.

“I told you not to call me by that name Sasha” Jean said as he gave her a kiss on the head. They had meet long time ago, so they had a history together and were more like family than anything else so of course there was that fondness between them. And how he couldn’t go unnoticed without these ridiculous nicknames she invented for him, he let her be. Which by the way were only acceptable when one of them was drunk, which was the obvious case here.

“Oh c´mon you looove them and you know it” she said as she went sit down next to Connie.

“Jeanbooo haven’t seen you in a while!” said Connie as he brought Jean for a hug. And with that nickname it was obvious he was too drunk. God his friends were such an idiots “You have left me without a drinking buddy! The streets are so lonely without you.” he said as he faked a tear.

To which Jean reminded him that they had seen each other yesterday in this same tavern. Connie just waved like his argument didn’t make sense at all.

“Hey! What ´bout me?” said the ponytail girl with a pout and almost falling from her chair.

It was little things like those, that Jean loved about his friends and that he could identify anywhere he saw in Jinae. Like the cute but wild ponytail that Sasha had worn ever since Jean had met her. But also there was the loudness and craziness of Connie and the fact that he could identify that bald head anywhere he went, and although he wasn’t exactly tall, you couldn’t miss him anywhere you went because that guy is always so fired up that you can locate him jumping and laughing everywhere.

“Oh baby you know I love you, but gotta let me have ma man with me.” said Connie as he leaned in to his drink referring to Jean which he could only take that as a compliment.

“Pleaeassee if you didn’t fuck me every night I would say you’re cheating on me with my Jeanbo” she said as she grabbed another drink from the shelf.

"If i WERE cheating on you with lil Jeanbo here dontcha think i would politely suggest that you to joined us?" Connie said that left Sasha nodding in her seat like making the argument seem valid to her liking.

“I think you both have had enough of that for the night and Sasha,” Jean said as he grabbed her drink and leaned in near her ear and whispered “Don’t worry you’re too good for him anyway” and winked at her.

“Hahaha oh Jeannie boy how I’ve missed you, you really you gotta come visit to the shop sometime! We could use some clients…”Sasha said sadly.

'Oh shit' thought Jean. Better run before this get messy. “Well um Sasha as much as I would like to… I’m here to speak wtih Erwin about something so if you’d excuse me…” said Jean in an attempt to run as he walked away.

“Run all you want you’ll be back and you know it!” said the bald one obviously having more than one drink in his system.

But now to the real deal. He went to the back in the benches of wood, where Erwin was. As he was walking up to where they were standing, Levi took a glance of him and took off. Jesus, that guy gave him the creeps. Some said he could murder a guy with a butter knife in more than ten ways and Jean wasn’t in the mood to find out who had spread the rumor... or what those ways were.

He sat right in front of Erwin waiting for him to drop the big news. He didn’t know for how long he analyzed Jean to see if he was worthy not of whatever he was about to say to him. That wasn’t unusual for him but well, what had to be done had to be done.

“So Jean,” finally Erwin said, in his big voice that made you sit upright “I guess that from you being our informant from what happens up there in the town, know what the big deal is about” he said as he put the newspaper of what seemed the today news on the table between them. It read “Prince big rise to the throne”.

“Of course I know, it’s all the town had talked about for months” said Jean. The news not being so much of a surprise for him, because for one hand he practically lived up there, so he could easily blend in and come back to the Pit to bring information whenever he wanted. He wouldn’t stay more than necessary down here, and hell did he have his reason not to. “Yeah i know, but Erwin how does this involve us?” Jean asked, not really wanting to say the word me because really that was the whole reason he was sitting at this table.

“As I assume you well know, the Royal Family of Jinae that has transcended for generations and generations is pretty big. And all those involved with them have manipulated the mind of the King, that including those above that have been corrupted from the rotten ones who made it into bureaucracy and have managed to stay there for decades now.”

“Erwin honestly you’re telling me something I already now” I say getting real tired from the politics lesson. He looked at me making me regret ever open my mouth. Fuck was this man scary too.

“That being said,” continued Erwin more serious this time “We cannot longer permit this, not if it means that the rich ones can live well so that the rest of us have to suffer the consequences. The lack of food, medicine, between other supplies has never been worse in years and we can no longer tolerate it.”

“So what I’m going with this is that someone has to take them down. I imagine you sure know about the rebellion. Well it’s a true and anarchy it’s a reality we are all facing if we don’t do something about it. So Jean, you being an important part of us in the underground family that’s why I ask you… Are you in this or not?” Said Erwin with the most serious face he had ever seen in anyone. I knew since I met the guy that’s he was serious business no messing around and for a moment he really made me believe what he said because if he said something would be done it sure hell would be.

It was a lot to take so I laid back on the chair and thought about it.

Everything that was wrong with the bureaucracy, the kingdom, the people who habitat it and how it would chance if no one did nothing about how it had been for so many crappy years. Would it really matter trying? Was it worth it? All the glory and fame for the cost of having you head cut off? Didn’t seem right to someone who appreciated his head in the place where it belonged.

But then I remembered the kid. And the old man. Both old men. And for so much as trying to forget the past I realized long ago it never goes away. No matter how much you try.

For your past to be tainted with blood and disaster, living in the streets while others enjoy of families and a good meal doesn’t seem fair to an 8 year old who lost everything he had with just the order of one of those bourgeois of a higher up. Jean had had enough of it. And 21 years of having to tolerate all the bullshit going on around him so no, this was the time for the bureaucrats to really know how suffer tastes like.

Jean looked at Erwin directly at his eyes as he leaned in on the table with a little candle standing in the center for all the dark around them he could see clear the face that he had in front of him, so he leaned in seeing clear as the day at Erwin as he said “I’m in.”

“Excellent” said the man with the pair of big eyebrows, and he could almost swear he saw a little smile on the corner of Erwin’s lips.

“So,” said Jean with a smirk “What’s the plan?" He asked.

“We’re going to kidnap one of the members of the royal family.” and this time he sure was smiling.


	2. A Different Perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow can't believe it took me a month to sit down and write my shit...uugghh editing is a real pain i swear  
> so hope my suffering was worthy and you all like it!  
> And also feel free to leave comments, kudos or even bookmarks because fellows this is a story that came here to stay for a while.

Mornings in Jinae were always beautiful.

The way the sun rose every morning, almost like escaping from the ocean after being held captive from a long and dark night of emptiness and then being replaced with bright and yellow sunrise that matched the waves of the ocean.

That coming from someone who had the perfect view of the entire Kingdom of Jinae, including the town, the Plaza and the large and blue ocean.

Marco always considered himself lucky, ever since child, and not for having been born in a wealthy family which everyone respected, and he adored by the way, it was just that sometimes… he couldn’t feel like a normal human being, having to be surrounded by the walls that separated him from the rest of the people outside the castle.

That being because he wasn’t only Marco, the loyal young man with good manners and charming personality, which was how he saw himself, but that didn’t matter for most people, that reason being because he wasn’t only Marco, he was Prince Marco Bodt of The Royal Family and Kingdom of Jinae.

So, that was pretty much of a letdown whenever he met someone inside the castle, one of the only places he was allowed to go because of his status, but also because it didn’t matter whom it was, as soon as they looked at him, Marco saw in their eyes that they knew who he was, and what he represented and was meant to be.

Future King. King Marco. He hated the feeling of it.

Alright he didn’t exactly hate it. But the word ‘King’ had been with him ever since he was born. It was what they had taught him since boy and was destined to be his future, but also it was the one thing he never asked to be.

Alright I know now you’re wondering why someone wouldn’t want to be a king. But that’s simple, and it’s something most people don’t realize they have until it’s taken away from them, freedom.

Marco loved Jinae, and his family and all around it. It was just… exhausting having to live up to everyone’s expectations and never having time to be who he wanted to be. Of course he didn’t had a choice either because if it wasn’t for him there wouldn’t be a country to run and the streets would be full of furious rampage, murder and things he didn’t want to even think about. He had a duty to live up to and he knew it.

And even though it would take his life away from him, at the end of the day it was all worthy. Just for moments like this one, and for the Kingdom of Jinae.

Jinae was worthy.

Or so he had thought.

* * *

 

He decided to walk around in the halls of the castle. It consisted mainly in old architecture made from artist of the old German renaissance providence he thought, to Marco it was the greatest place ever created.

In both walls and ceilings there were paintings that looked like the ones from a church, only more delicate and a whole lot expensive. Living in this kind of life, he had realized, from several discussions he had had with different kind of people, mostly from bourgeois and bureaucrats of various families, but they all came to one solution, the bigger the better and as long as it was expensive or pretty it had to be theirs.

Marco had never understood that kind of thinking. He was just happy looking at the sunset from his bedroom window and little things like the various plants and flowers they had in their greenhouse at the center of the castle which was one of his favorite places. And then again one of the few places he was allowed to go without any guards.

Even though he was fine with it, he always used to wonder what the outside the castle of Jinae would be like. Would it be beautiful like he always imagined? Or full of people in the streets organizing random dances at the Plaza, all laughing and having nice meals with their families and friends.

That sure sounded nice.

Before he realized where he was going, he bumped into someone.

“Oh sorry Prince Marco, I didn’t saw you there, please don’t tell Miss Annie.” the blond guy said trembling with fear in his eyes.

“Armin I have told you multiple of times its okay for you to call me Marco. That’s my name, not Prince.” He then said.

He had always found Armin interesting in his own little way. He was the apothecary of the court and always had a book with him along with his glasses which were a little broken on the edges but worked just fine; also the little pony tail he wore always amused him how it made him look brave and adventurous but always spent his time in the library and in the little part of town.

“Sorry! Old habits die hard Prince- I mean Marco! Oh boy, I sure hope I don’t get in trouble with Miss Annie, she’ll kill us all if she found out we addressed any of you Bodt siblings in a casual way.” He said sounding a little overwhelmed with just the idea of being caught.

“Don’t worry Armin, if she ever asks I’ll just tell her the same I said to you.” He said with a big smile on his face.

Some people usually told him that he had a friendly personality or that he was too kind, but Marco always wondered why that was. It was only normal to be nice to people. There wasn’t a reason not to be, or no one had had ever shown him one. But there was always the issue of _who_ would _dare_ ever being rude to their future king. He sighted.

“Well, I shall be going then. My father is calling for me and I wouldn’t like to make him wait.” Marco said.

“Sorry to have taken your time. I’ll just check the rest of the botecary then.” He made a little reverence and went his way.

Funny guy he thought, but also having in mind that he sure was smart for being the one who handled the medicament of the royal officials and the Bodt family.  
With that in mind, he went his own way.

* * *

 

Once he arrived at the hall of meetings he let the guards open the huge doors in front of him and entered.

“Son!” his father called from throne. It was big, inserted with jewels and made of gold. All of that for one chair, he would say. The chair of a king, others would respond.

When Marco entered he soon realized they weren’t alone.

There, it also was The Commander of the Royal Army, the Royal Counselor and the Master of Coin. The Commander appeared no older than Marco but in a way, much wiser and with a lot more experience, he was tall, blond and bulky which always made Marco wonder the things he would have done to get where he was next to the King, and besides him, the awkward looking Master of Coin, who was way taller than any man Marco had ever seen and always had and indecisive expression every time he saw him. No matter where he went, they were always together being part of the royal council and all of that. On the other hand the Counselor was almost always at the side of is father not really saying anything unless the King requested it. His name was Mike and much taller and older than Marco. 

As he was drawing closer to them, he could hear their conversation.

“I’m sorry my king, but it _must_ be done. It’s for the greater good.” said the Master of Coin.

“The citizens will suffer” the King, and also, his father, said.

“King Ettore. It must be done by the end of the day or they will _really suffer_ the consequences” said the Commander with a really annoyed look that almost screamed _do what I say._  
Marco was very observant in that way and that’s why he decided to intervene.

“I personally don’t think that doing something unpleasant to the people of the town could make it pleasant to us” he said making them both the Reiner and Bertholdt rise up and bow. Mike just looked at him 

“My prince didn’t see you coming to the hall.” he apologized with and almost sarcastic way to say those words.

"Mike what do you suggest i do?" asked the King.

"It is my duty to lead you to the wisest decision your grace. And seeing how we are going no where here it'd be better if we discussed it in the morrow." he said lowering his head so he could her him being the difference between a tall man standing and the distance of the kind sitting in the chair.

“That will be all Reiner. You and Bertholdt can leave and go check up in the registry on the dwelling of our citizens.”

“Yes but _sir_ -” Reiner said.

“That is an _order_ ” said the King with a strong posture that made you not wanting to discuss with this man.

Berthold, the master of coin took a hold of Reiner shoulder and said “Let’s go” and with that they left the room. The King gave Mike a look and he also went away through the door.

“Haa” the King exhaled. Being king must be though Marco thought. He remembered his father with this loving but also fearful posture in him every time the country went into any kind of trouble. “Well Marco how you could see, this is no easy work. Be sure to learn a lot before your coronation next month because once you’re in this chair, you must never show any sign of weakness, or else the people will be scared of who runs their country and I know you don’t want anarchy to run in the streets. I know I don’t.” He said as he got up to give a hug to his son.

His hugs always transmitted to Marco something more than familiar love, like wanting to protect someone who you knew couldn’t be protected. One more of the disadvantages of being part of the royal family were that you never

knew in whom to trust, they could be either after your money or your head. Sometimes both, which wasn’t exactly encouraging.

“Father, I’m glad to see you’re doing well.” said Marco as he separated from the hug and with a bright smile he asked “So, what did you want to see me for?”

“The must be a reason a father can’t see his future king son for no reason at all?” and with that he smiled “But sadly there’s something that’s been concerning me son, and I wanted to discuss it with you about it, so you could know a little about our situation in the leadership of Jinae.” and with that he got serious, with that hawk eye look that made you immediately put attention in his words.

Marco knew a lot of politics, but very little about the country he was supposed to run in a few weeks. Being the only suitable male son and with that, heir to the throne, he was always surrounded with guards to keep him safe, so going out of the castle alone was out of the question. The little he remembered about Jinae was the places he went with his father from time to time whenever they wanted to make and important announce, but it didn’t happen unless it was certainly important. So he could easily count the times he went out of the walls that surrounded him using only the fingers in his hands.

They had taught him since child to be a leader, comprehend the ways of the world were, and to know how to deal when a crisis affected the citizens. But how was he supposed to protect people he didn’t even know much about, or they situation they were in or even their lives? That question terrorized him every night he went to sleep, thinking and analyzing where the future of Jinae would go with him, as a King, leading it.

With so much in his head sometimes he forgot the situation going on in front of him, which was his father with a very serious look and so he decided to listen what he wanted to talk to him about.

“What is it?” he asked with serious concern.

“It’s about the country Marco, and if it’s about Jinae then it’s about us to look into. I’m sure you know these times have been hard for all of us, especially with the lower classes we bring help to so they can sustain with the little they have. That being said, I wanted to explain to you what’s been going on, and hasn’t been so much of a recent matter that has been going on in the streets for a while now.”

Please don’t say the word. Marco thought and almost begged for his father not to say his worst nightmare ever since he had studied everything he had to know to be the one in the throne. The most feared word any future king or even member of the royal family could ever hear.

“Riot.” and with that, they both went silent, knowing the meaning of those words. Riot. It was such a simple word, but at the same time had much more meaning than just a four letter word. It meant disagreement, anger, starving…murder.

“Marco this isn’t easy for me and I know it isn’t for you either, but I’ve been informed by the guards and by the royal council of this, I’m sure you know this isn’t a laughing matter and actual lives are in danger or could be if we don’t do something about it.” with that he decided to lean into his throne to rest. He looked really up beat, almost like cracking his head open trying to come up with a solution for the problem in matter, but having realized already that there wasn’t much he could actually do.

Marco hated seeing him like that, mostly because he was his father, the man who raised him, his sisters and little brother, but also the strong hard working king who he had always looked up ever since a child, and also because one day, that would be him. What good was to be king if you couldn’t actually help the people you were in charge off? He felt so lost and with no one release his fears to.

“Father how do you know this is actually true? Couldn’t it be something just the press is saying to cause confusion in the people below?” He hoped he was right, oh how he hoped for it.

“I’m sorry to put you in the spot my son but I’m afraid it’s true. They have given me a little information about the subject and apparently there’s these groups of people that are in conform of the way the Kingdom is led and believe could be done better if it were _them_ who did it, and with that the only option would be to bring down us and everything we represent. I believe they call themselves the Sina’s or so I was told.”

Sina’s… to Marco that sounded ironically like sinners which fitted perfectly for a revolutionary group, but being in the position he was in he didn’t have much time to analyze it. No, this was time to take action, and with that make solutions and solve it so there wouldn’t be any danger in the country he loved so much. Just imagining the people running wild with fear without someone to lead them, the suffering they would be in… and better not to think in the lives that could be wasted in that. He decided to take his mind of the topic and stare ahead to his father.

“What can we do to stop this?” Marco said with the most serious face he had ever used “We can’t just let this slip over our heads we must do something, we practically have the power in our hands right?” he hoped that with that he wouldn’t feel as useless as he was feeling now.

“Of course we’ll do something about it Marco, I’m so sorry my son, it wasn’t my intention to worry you that much. I just wanted you to see a few of the things you’ll have to deal with being a king. It’s not all bright crowns and a big throne, once you’re in there, it comes with responsibilities only you can do to solve. We already have sent a team of guards to search more and hopefully find this group of rioters and bring it to justice so it can finally come to an end. I’ll leave you alone to analyze it alright?” And with that, he went away leaving Marco all alone in the room.

He could hear the sound of the doors closing behind of him with his father leaving the room, but at that moment the only thing he could see was the throne. That big chair made of gold that had been haunting him ever since he learned what being a leader really meant for him. He approached it almost without noticing it, but at the time he realized, he was already touching the handles of the throne with trembling hands.

A seat with so much power had a reason to be feared. And for Marco that’s what it caused, fear. He was furrowing his face with pain of not being able to do something in a situation like this. And without asking for it, he remembered not only the moment they had told him he was going to be a king in the future, but the moment that his little brother had been born.

He remembered being there with his sisters Marzia and Iliana, who were not so little by then so those two didn’t have so much of a gap age with their second born baby brother by that time. God he was so little, Marco remembered, and also that by that time he couldn’t be more than thirteen himself and thinking things like him and his newborn brother, Nicola, would both be kings. Nothing would stop the both of them. Until people then explained to him and he learned soon that there could only be one king. And Marco being the oldest was the one who would carry the name of the family with the greatest honor of them.

With so many books about monarchy they had in the castle, and also the ones they had told him to study to front and back because of his lessons, were for him to realize what it meant to be in his position. And he learned then that if anything happened to him, his brother Nicola would take his place for being next in the line. But then again, that had been way before they knew about Nicola’s health condition.

Everything he had been through in just one discussion with his father was almost too overwhelming. Having actual fear of what might happen to his family, to his sisters and brother, and even to him terrified him. But he couldn’t be torn down by all this, he had to be strong. He had to be. That was everything they had ever taught to him, which was one of the biggest qualities a King should have. _Strength._

And before Marco realized, there were tears in his eyes and were falling all over the throne, and he was soon holding tight to it like it was the only thing that could keep him from falling down.

That in a way, it was. _  
_

* * *

 

 When he left the hall he didn’t even realize how much time he had been in there or how much time had passed, because near the corridors of the castle and the garden house, you could see the sun starting to hide in the horizon. So he decided to go and visit Ileana for a little while. The sun was setting so that meant it was tea time.

 

* * *

 She had her own balcony with a great view he had to admit. That was one of the perks of being in one of the tallest floors of the castle, all of the Bodt siblings were in the same floor so being mad at each other didn’t last for long, cause most of the fights they often had were mostly because of their ages.

Marco being twenty one could see the world from a whole different perspective than their sisters and brother, that mostly because he was the older one. Next to him was Marzia who had just turned fifteen not so long ago, he sometimes forgot she had just entered the age where she would be presented to society, so of course she was in the biggest of moods for finally being able to go to dances and meeting princes. Pff like he would permit they take away his little sister, that besides of what she said and got mad at him for saying this like that, they both cared for each other very much.

Ileana came almost as a surprise mostly to Marco, because when Marzia had been born he hadn’t expected to have any other siblings, and there she was, Ileana, the little troublemaker. She was so happy all the time for an eleven year old, so little did she knew about the world, but already loved every part of it. Even though the only things she knew were the ones inside the castle, which was not so different from Marco himself except what he knew from books and the few visits to the city, she really made everything better when Marco needed it. But what he loved about her was that she was as if happiness had taken a human form and had been put it in a tiny little body with brown hair and freckles in both cheeks and nose.

That was something characteristic of the Bodt siblings, for one reason or other; they all had freckles in their faces and bodies. Marco himself had the most of the four of them, counting Nicola who only had them in his arms and chest, Marzia who had them mostly in her back and only a little ones in her face, mostly because of that and for “beauty” reasons she mocked Ileana a lot that she was the prettiest, one on which Nicola responded “It doesn’t matter what the both of you have or don’t have, you’re both equally beautiful.” And that he said with a smile.

Nicola, or Nico how they liked to call him, was the youngest one of the four of them, with and age of eight years old Marco could swear he was the smartest of the siblings and that was counting Marco himself. Really there’s no way a child like him could be the smartest of four at such a young age but then again he had a little problem.

His body.

Since he had turned two, for unknown reasons he fell sick very often, the doctors had said it was a very rare disease where your body was so weak that you couldn’t really move much because it could make you so weak that you could collapse or even die. Something having to be with his limbs that were connected to his arms and legs, this was the thing that made one capable of moving around and once being damaged, it had a great effect on the body, so Nicola couldn’t perform that much effort very often so his parents decided to treat him with futureless careful and decided it would be best if little Nico didn’t went out of his room unless it was necessary of the servants to attend him.

With their parents prohibited him to going out of his room for whatever reason without their consult, the Bodt siblings had a duty, make sure their brother was happy all the time or at least to never feel alone. That was why Nicola was always surrounded with books of whatever he liked, it made Marco sad how lonely his little brother must feel sometimes but he made sure that as Marco was alive he wouldn’t leave his baby brother alone. In that, the three of them agreed to never let his brother get hurt more than he already had.

The four of them, no matter their differences in age and other things, loved each other like no other, and Marco being the oldest one, wanted everything that was in power to bring them happiness and a safe place to live. One of the few reasons that really made him feel good about becoming a king.

* * *

 

 When he entered the bedroom of her sister, the room almost screamed that a little princess lived there. The bed specially made for her with all the curtains around the bed so it would look like her own little castle, and of course that it was pink, everything in there was.

When she turned around and noticed it was Marco she almost jumped from where she was playing with her dolls and landed on Marco’s arms. God he loved this child.

“Marco!” she practically screamed “I almost thought you weren’t coming and miss our weekly tea party.” that she said with a pout and a little touch of anger even though Marco had already adjusted to her behavior, he never wanted it to change.

“Oh my Princess Ileana I would not dare.” Marco said as he bowed in one knee and looking down, deeply sorry “I shall be punished for my lateness in such an important event.” Ileana couldn’t notice but he was smiling.

“Hmm how will we punish such a despicable act coming from big brother Marco, let’s see.” she said as she grabbed her little scepter she had with pink and red jewels “The court of my teddy bear Duke Benjamin and I have decided you shall be punished with… tickles!”

Oh no. The horror.

“Nooo! Everything except that! Mercy please I have a family!” Marco played along, while secretly enjoying it.

And with that Ileana started to tickle Marco’s belly so much he couldn’t stop laughing from having her little sister on top of him tickling everywhere, so he decided to end the madness by picking her up in the air and put her on his shoulders and started to run circles around all the room. With that both of them ended up laughing unstoppable in her bed trying to calm them from the exhaustion.

When they finally calmed down Ileana talked.

“Marco um” she said with a little doubt in her voice “Can I ask you something?"

“Anything at all Ileana, you know that.” he said sounding a little worried by the tone she was using.

“It’s just that… you’ve been kind of weird recently and I was worried with the coronation and all you weren’t sad or something. And when you entered you looked a little sad so… Are you okay?” she said while playing with her little fingers over and over again.

Oh. He hadn’t really noticed he had been showing it as much as for Iliana to notice. Her little sister was smarter that he gave her credit for. Well, with the close relationship they had, he should’ve figured she would’ve noticed something and he blamed himself for not being better at hiding it. The things he was feeling since a long time ago weren’t things you would say to a ten year old, much less your little princess sister.

How could he even begin to explain everything that was happening in the place they were supposed to rule over when their own people didn’t want them to protect them and thought that the royal family shouldn’t even exist in the first place? Too many things to deal with at once, and in such a short period of time to be solved. It could be done, he thought, but oh how he hoped it could be done and quick because since it was something had to be done, they didn’t have any other option but to solve it, but he knew this kind of thing wouldn’t be the kind that’s easy to recover from .He knew that very well.

So he decided to do what he had always done ever since a child, and put up another wall in front of a little person, who he thought it was worth just a tiny little lie.

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” he smiled “I’m the one who’s supposed to protect you not the other way around little one.”

“Okay… if you say so.” she said, not sounding completely convinced but hugged him anyways.

She was starting to fall sleep, Marco noticed, so he hugged her like her innocence were the purest thing in this place and really truly hoped it could stay that way.

Even though he knew it couldn’t.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah...  
> The chapters will be narrated from both Jean and Marco perspective so yeah don't freak out if it turns from furious anger horsed face to sweet cinnamon roll freckled jesus  
> I know it's such a cliche to put Annie, Reiner and Bertholdt like the villians but after chapter 77 of snk the bastards deserved it :(


	3. Plans for the future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Wow. I'm really making a routine of this midnight and then early mornings updates who knows why  
>  This took me so much effort to put my laziness in shape and have the balls to come up with it as well to edit it.  
> Having said that I'm on vacations so decided to finally get this thing to stop luring me in the night and decided to updatee and the final touches and all that.  
> Also take in count this chapter is larger than both of the other ones i have written so be ready for the things that are about to happen.  
> Special thanks to chona (i know ur reading this u lil tomatito) for being my #1 hater :DDD freaking luv u bro y gracias por salvarme de la pinche nines!  
> Hope you enjoy!

There was a place in the Pit that almost deserved the name of not total garbage. He liked to call it The Cave.

It was located in the underground part of the city that not so much people knew about, the weirdest thing about the place was that even though it was below the city, there was a big hole in the ceiling, like something had come by and demolished it and just left it there. It could almost be called beautiful, for the view of the sky it showed and the nature feeling around it, if it weren’t in the lowest of the city.

Not a lot of people knew about it but Jean, in his years of searching and alsoof hiding from dangerous people, had found it. And boy did he like it. It was the perfect place not to think about the shitty society he lived in.

But being in there it gave him time to think about things, about the future or even worst, the past. So often he repremented those kind of thoughts but also made him go back to the times and events that made him the man ve was now. No matter if it meant a part of him was broken and would never be repaired again.

Deciding not to go that deep he drew his mind to other matters. Mastering the secrets of stealing was truly an art.

Or so Jean thought.

It had taken him a while to learn all the ways a person could fall for something so simple, but then again people were stupid, which made it easier for him.

Life in the streets with no parents wasn’t something a lot of children survived, but for Jean it had just consisted of knowing how to take proper care of himself, which wasn’t exactly hard and you just had to lose your humanity and voilà you had yourself a deal.

It wasn’t as bad once you knew how the things worked. Money, work and specially the most difficult ones, people. The fact that people and money worked hand in hand it made all harder for someone who did not count with it. That led to either working your whole life with the hope of ever managing to earn enough for you or your family, always taking in count that the crown could take your money whenever they felt like it which led you to barely making it into society, it was a pretty good looking scenario. The worst case being having to recur to methods such as prostitution, child selling, murder, etc. Things that were seen as normal where he lived.

Luckily that wasn’t Jean’s case. He was smarter than to go around killing people just for a few silver coins from the big fishes up there in Jinae gave you to _take care_ of someone who wasn’t of their likeness. Even _worst_ having to pretend to be a part of a society that was more broken that the people who resided in it.

The world was a cruel place to live in. It didn’t care for you to make something out of yourself. Didn’t care opening the door of your house in the afternoon while you and your family where having a meal together and murdering everyone in there.

It didn’t care for you. For anyone really.

It just didn’t care.

And that’s just the way you learn how to survive in a world that is hopeless, always having in mind that the most you could make out of your life would be worthless and just hoping not to die in a dark alley with rivers of filthy waters running free in the streets while you laid there bleeding your guts out.

If it didn’t care for you then why the hell would you care for them?

That’s how life in the Pit worked. Harsh and merciless. Know the ropes or die, trying to climb the ladder so many have tried but so many more have failed trying. Simple.

You had to take on count that there was so much corruption in the families who could actually afford to live, then who could say where the line could draw between good or wrong.

We are alone in this world, so why give a shit about it when you could happily enjoy the faces of the people who realized their perfect day wouldn’t be so perfect any more after you stole their precious pertinences.

A good way to live indeed.

 

* * *

 

After a rough morning in his shitty old apartment that only consisted of a bed and a sink he decided to get up, wash his face and look himself in the rusty broken mirror.

He really should live somewhere nicer, after all in monetary issues he didn’t have any problem and counted with quite a few golden coins from his travels to the uptown, but then again he barely lived there so why bother.

He then grabbed his old brown jacket that was already missing a few buttons near the neck, closed the door and went outside climbing the stairs of hell.

Now, he thought, whose day I’m going to mess up today?

The possibilities.

 

* * *

 

 After finding a jerk of a man who was yelling at a pair of children for coming near The Stairs and saying things like “The poor will stick to you” and “Once you’re in there there’s no going back. You don’t want that!” he decided that yeah, this was his guy.

He waited patiently till the man walked a little more to the center of the city so he could follow him. It was and old tactic he often used, walk at a considerable distance of the person you’re following so that they never knew of your existence. The factor of surprise made it easier to fool them.

As he was following the man he realized that the Plaza was starting to get decorated with banners in most of the establishments the Plaza had, also colorful pendants in the top of the building and also a few musicians who appeared to be practicing for festive music. He guessed, and also from the information he knew, that all of that was for the soon coming coronation of the prince.

It gave the Plaza a brighter feeling to it, almost like it was alive.

Well, they sure were gonna regret that latter with the plans the revolutionaries had in mind.

Looking up all around him while at the same time keeping his head down so he wouldn’t be noticed, he almost lost the man. With so much people wondering around the old rock stone streets there, he decided to step up his pace and finally found him. The man entered a fancy shop of clothes and other vestments with the price of probably more than the Pit was even worth, so Jean entered with him.

As soon as he took a step in the establishment he was hit with the smell of perfumes and other fragrances which reminded him the smell of old ladies and fine prostitutes in the backs of the Pit. Also of beer. Both powerful smells, but at least beer made you dizzy in the way of losing yourself and forgetting what the real problems were, and made you forgot everything that was wrong in society, on the other hand perfumes did not. The only thing they did for you was smelling considerably decent, but _excuse me_ that from _my_ point of view the people who used them were just lazy and decided not take a bath and so wasted precious money in a little bottle of liquid that made you smell like a flower had spited in you.

Costumer’s choice he thought, but _God_ they were so stupid really, I mean they could afford to shower and not just be hoping to maybe not having to make a line in the communal bathroom for a single bucket with dirty water being enough for half of the week.

So he could kinda guess why the ones up there said the ones below stink. In our defense it wasn’t like we had a _choice_. They were still assholes though.

That’s what Jean thought, but it could also be the sting of jealousy talking for him. People who could actually afford to waste money in that instead of food were worthy of envy. No fair man, just not fair.

With his old wrinkled clothes he soon felt out of place. Even the clothing in this place made it pretty clear that he didn’t belonged there.

And then a woman also decided to come in so Jean decided to hold the door for her. Being the worthless piece of shit he was, he still had manners.

“After you lady.” Jean said.

That only earned him an annoyed look from the small blond woman. Jean didn’t understand but when he looked at her eyes, blue cold eyes, it gave him a feeling of not wanting to mess with this woman.

He greeted the man at the entrance and decided to the back of the store where the other man was trying on new clothes.

The store wasn’t particularly big, but it was full of all kinds of wardrobe and that only made Jean feel a lot poorer than he was.

With those thoughts in his mind he heard the woman in the counter talking to the man in the register.

“Miss Annie how lovely to see you how you’ve been?” asked the man.

“Good, thanks for asking.” the lady, Annie so it seemed, said not glaring at him but looking all around like searching for something or more like, inspecting. “Glad to see that the town is all excited for the coronation.”

“Of course we are! Ah times of celebration are much needed in times like this, with the taxes coming up and all, we sure need a chance to breathe a little once in a while.”

The taxes were going up? Again?!

Great, just what he needed. No wonder this shithole of town was how it was with the monarchy just taking our money away with no apparent reason. It wasn’t strange that money often got lost in the higher ups, the reason being they just stuffed it into their pockets while the others looked away.

Fucking economy we had.

And that coming from the ones in the nice part of town that seemed to manage it just fine. If _they_ were complaining then it was obvious that they didn’t know shit of the situation from the ones below.

People were actually dying from hunger and from not having any money to feed their families and they had the nerve to complain. The country couldn’t be more broken than it already was.

But as it seemed, the bureaucrats sure were trying to make things worse for us all. Someone needed to change the ways the country was handled.

The question being who?

Jean had had enough of it and could only recur to methods like this, stealing from people who _maybe_ didn’t deserve it or _maybe_ they did. He had a long time to not care for such things anymore knowing that by _doing it_ it meant another day in this earth, and then it was worth the try.

No matter how fucked up they were, it still was worth trying to see another day.

Whatever methods that could take.

“Indeed it is a shame some of the people here can’t pay their taxes, but you know what they say, the crown is the crown, either you choose to pay them or can go live in the Pit, your choice.” The man said almost smiling.

“Oh I can guarantee you no one wants to live in there, only the thought itself someone could end up in there is reason _enough_ to work hard and pay them before you end up with… them.” The woman answered with a look of discontent and pettiness.

That had done it.

He looked down and noticed the clothes the man had 29th were now in the floor while he was changing into his new perfected handmade clothes. He wouldn’t need the other ones then.

Making sure no one was watching he took the clothes in the floor and put them on. Sure yeah he could manage the ‘I’m the man who pay his taxes’ kind of look.

It even came with a hat and a suitcase. Oh man would they pay a lot for this in the garage he thought and smiled to himself.

With the clothes on him, he went out of the store without making any scandal, he sensed the woman giving him the stink eye, well that couldn’t be prevented and also it wasn’t like it actually _mattered_ to him, as long as she didn’t notice he had another pair of clothes in him that the ones he had arrived to the store he was fine with it, with that he opened the door and went his way.

Huh that had been easy really. Most of the times he had stolen something he ended up being chased after, but never caught though.

That was an important part of his job. He couldn’t get caught handling with information or _worse_ seen in the streets as some kind of burglar which _he was not_. He had to be careful enough to go unnoticed in the city if he wanted things to go his way smoothly, and by that meaning never showing his face in a place too much or with people who he had messed with before.

It was an important of his job not to earn a reputation. That only came with a name, one he couldn’t let anyone who wasn’t trusty now. And of course, he didn’t want any WANTED posters in the Plaza or any place, _much less_ the military police looking for him.

The questions being if the posters would say either dead or alive, or even maybe offer a reward? He was worth quite some money after all.

Just as he had thought it all had gone really smooth, too smooth.

And then it's when he heard the sound of a bell coming from the store he just exited appearing the man in his underwear shouting “HEY YOU! COME BACK HERE.”

Figures.

This people really can’t take someone taking their stuff can they.

Turning two steps in front he headed running to the Pit.

 

* * *

 

 While he was going down the stairs he started thinking of the plan Erwin had told him.

“Sooo you’re telling me that we’re just gonna take one of them and just go? Not doubting your plan but I see a little fails in that Erwin.” I say wanting Erwin to explain a little more about what this is about.

“I can see how it may seem futile, but we have important information that was leaked from the ones above Levi, you know with him working as a smuggler of the rich and other merchant. I don’t presume you know a lot about the royal family Jean but the oldest woman of the king daughters has just turned fifteen, the legal age to properly have a position in the world of monarchy. The word is that she, Princess Marzia, is soon to be married to some prince in another country.”

“And with the princess coming to age this is rare how?” I wonder not really knowing a lot of how monarchy connections work.

“The thing important and under the lines here is that by doing this, it is expected to form relations with that special country so that the sources in Jinae can be of better use in trading, that would benefit the bourgeois of this country in a way you can’t even begin to imagine Jean. That’s why it’s the perfect occasion to make our move. Show the ones above were not just going to sit here while they deal with the future of their citizen’s right in front of our eyes without giving us any say in the matter.”

“Then the plan would be to take the princess Marzia away from the castle and what, bring her here? What are we supposed to do with a princess held captive? Wait for her prince to show up?”

“Not quite, Jean. Yes, we would be kidnapping her just to make a point, but only until they listen to our reasons, we’re not taking her for money or extortion; this is something bigger than that. With this we will make our voices to be heard and not ignored like it always had been. In times like these any change is good, and since the opportunity hasn’t come yet were going to take it ourselves.”

“And also just assuming they don’t cut our heard off and actually _consider_ to hear us what happens then? What would that bring us?” It’s not every day you get to see the beginnings of a revolution forming right in front of you. All these and more questions needed to be solved for Jean to compromise and know where he was heading for.

“We will make them come to terms with us. In front of the Plaza so all the people in there realize of the thing they really need, and to make Jinae finally have and become a constitutional country, with rights for every single one of us and that the people here have and _actual_ say in the decisions the country is run. We can’t let them just do whatever they want with our country and go there deciding all that by their own, including our lives, _especially_ not when there are people dying in the dark dirty corners of the streets for not having any food to eat. I’ve had enough of it. And I’m guessing you’ve had too.”

Erwin always strike me as a man of honor. Someone in whom you could count on and would give up their life if it was for the right cause. And with this he was telling me I was sure _finally_ , after so much suffering in the Pit, a change could actually be done, or at least a try.

“That sounds pretty fair. Well then Erwin what do you want me to do?”

“I want you being part of the ones who go to the castle to retrieve the princess and bring her back to us.”

“Isn’t that too easy? You know, just kidnapping the princess entering the castle while no one is watching and going to the back door while we sing songs? Erwin I think it’s going to take a little more than that.”

“You’re not going to be alone, Eren’s coming with you.”

“What?!”Oh fuck no. No no no no “Wait just a minute ain’t nobody say anything about Jaeger tagging along. The guy is an idiotic he’ll get us caught!”

“You two are the best dealers I’ve known, so I need you both working together. What Jean can’t handle a little time alone with him?” Erwin says with a smile.

“It’s not that. It’s just that the guy really gets on my nerves whatever reason it is,” He really wasn’t lying, ever since he had met Jaeger there always seemed to be a reason for both of them ended up fighting with Mikasa breaking us up so we didn’t cause a ruckus all over the place. Surely because I could beat the crap out of him yeah that probably was the reason why. “But fine we’ll do it and I’m assuming we’ll get something in return right?” Hey now in times of need a little something could really come in handy.

“Don’t worry about that Jean it’s all taken care of, so I’ll see what I can do in your benefit. That means I’m counting on you, do we have a deal or not?” Erwin said looking straight into my eyes, searching for even the slightest doubt in his eyes. Which was actually pretty creepy but given the situation they were arguing he really couldn’t blame the guy for wanting to make sure who he was dealing with.

Well Jean always said that if you want to do something right it must be done by you, and specially not some pair of idiots who could probably screw it up, (Jaeger and anyone else who was related to the matter) also he could really put a good use to the money…Oh what the hell, what’s the worst that could happen?

Jean gulped and said “Deal.”

He shakes hands with Erwin and that was it.

 

* * *

 

 Now he only had to wait orders from Erwin and wait to see what they would do and how they would do it. Oh right, he had a place to go now.

He was in the streets of the Pit almost without realizing how he had managed to get there, he kept walking not really going anywhere but having in thought the whole revolutionary plan had he remember he had to see the only person that gave him a headache every time that he was involved.

Jean sighted.

Well, business were business and with the new clothes from the ‘who knows who’ person he had robbed, he could get some money out of the clothes he had on him.

Time to get to the Garage.

 

* * *

 

 It was simple really. The garage pretty much consisted of a conjoined mount of people and their local underground ware that they put up on sale so the people coming by could maybe buy it or trade it, and if you had a little luck maybe you could actually go pass a day with only two or three robberies from random strangers!

Wasn’t life great sometimes?

 

* * *

  
Being located in one of the off the law limits of the Pit almost everything you found there or sold in there was either stolen or… nah, no worth lying, everything in there belonged to someone else already.

So for people like Jean it was the perfect place to trade your shit for money that could get you even fancier shit. Maybe even food that wasn’t completely rotten. Oh the bliss of only imagining that was exhilarating.

Things like that hadn’t always been that bad, yes there always had existed the almost astonish clear line between the privileged and the poor, but still in those times people could come by with the little income they made or at least enough to buy food for a day and not starve for being begging for money in the streets from the ones above. Only to be kicked out by guards of the monarchy saying that you should “Get back where you belonged”, but that quickly had changed until pretty recently with the upraise of the bureaucracy and they manipulating the head of the monarchy, making them believe that by rising the monetary income would solve all problems. That had of course failed and that led us where we are.

At least illegal stands like this ones still remained, call the people of the Pit whatever you want but one thing was true, we are like cockroaches, no matter how many times you try to eradicate us we will only just multiply and be there in the filth waiting for your left overs and make a life out of it.

He kept walking in the streets looking around at all the stands that stood there and the stolen things they sold. It could go from the tiniest things like utensils or jewelry to actual vehicles of all classes and guns. They had a wide range of articles to look at.

Having grown up in these kind of streets and trading’s he knew how to get by and whom to get by with. Jean knew about almost everyone that sold something out there, having shared a drink with them time to time, to former lovers or even so strangers too weird to just ignore so decided to put them in the category of friends.

If he could count the times he had gotten into fights for sleeping with either a man or woman in there that sold knives, having a casual hook up with the partner of random guys in there who specialized in the art of having pointy sharp things in their hands or even waking up for some reason in the stand of a girl with big breasts that sold pots and Jean not having an excuse for having both pairs of hands and feet’s in the vases, really he had lost count.

If only he could make money out of histories like that. Damn.

Wondering in and on by various stands in there he got hooked by a recent one that sold stolen art that could go from ridiculous blankets or curtains to actual paintings or the occasional fine relic.

The stand was owned by a petit blond girl with _stunning_ blue eyes that could melt ice if she wanted, but at the same time giving this energy of being an angel descended from heaven to erase all the evil in the world, that girl had the power in her hands if she wished he could swore it. He somewhat knew her, Christa was her name, in part from seeing so much of her in the Garage, and also for being the girlfriend of pain the ass number #3 that went by the name of Ymir.

He really should get better friends.

But as he was passing by what really got his attention was a painting.

Somewhat rustic but in a sense of an antique civilization from long ago, Greek I guess? If that’s what it’s called he didn’t knew but it seemed like it.

Anyway, in the painting the back was one of the most beautiful sunsets he had ever seen in painting but that wasn’t just it, located right in the front was a big olive tree, which curiously reminded him of the trees at the Cave, which in _no way_ were as beautiful as that one, but what really _really_ was the top of the cherry was the person in the painting.

It was a man.

He was giving his back in the painting, and by the way he was dressed it seemed the men in those times appeared to choose not to wear a lot of clothes cover themselves up (that Jean thanked for), being that he was only wearing a thin white silk, almost dress-like, that went by one shoulder and a lace that united them together was like gold, and it went in thin lines from the shoulder to the end of the dress-like silk and made at the end of it an almost wave of golden at the end. The thing was that what he was wearing was almost so close to being transparent that you could clearly see from his, not slender but fine neck, to the end at his round breath tacking butt chicks.

And what was even _more_ amazing about the body of his it was that almost all his back and arms were full of spots, almost like freckles.

Little tiny freckles that were literally everywhere. Made you wonder all over his body just to find out if you could count them all and maybe if you could form figures of constellations in them. And Jean sure wanted to keep admiring it either way.

He got so distracted in the way the man looked in contract of the sunset that he almost forgot about his face. Starting from his head it was nothing too special just your normal brown dark hair, that yeah looked smooth as hell and made Jean want to run his fingers in it, nothing unusual just your normal hair, but what actually quite shocked him was the face.

He felt like he had been stroked by lightning.

As Jean had described, the man in the painting was in a position like looking at the sunset in front of him, but at the same time the man had his head in an angle almost like wanting the person looking at the painting, or at him, to show you he wanted to look at you but being shy about it.

Fucking adorable.

But in that shyness there was a tiny little smile, like he _knew_ that you started looking at the sunset, appreciating the view and the way the tree branches were scattered at the top almost like falling, but got lost in his precious face, and that once he knew you were looking at him and his side eyed nose and a little hint of an eye that was a dark color but with the contrast of the sun making it almost golden like and never to miss the way all those freckles were splattered all around his cheeks, oil smooth skin that just made you want to reach out and caress him until he looked at you, for then to kiss him like nothing else mattered.

But the man in the painting once realizing you couldn’t keep your eyes out of him, he started being happy about it, in a way that was like he was teasing you, _daring_ you to try and horribly fail at looking at something other than wasn’t him.

He hadn’t ever experienced the feeling of wanting something so bad, but at the same time willing to do everything to obtain it. He also he wanted to be the only one in the planet to ever look at that painting and the man who belonged there. Forever frozen in that single and perfect moment of eternal touching light.

Jean didn’t want to let that moment go. Not now, not never.

But reality hits you when you never expect it and you end up alone, realizing that 1. You’re in a street full of people, 2. You have no idea how much time you were lost appreciating the man in the picture and what it represented and 3. That it’s _just_ a painting and will never be other thing.

Well didn’t that hurt like a bitch.

Having to wake up from what it felt like an amazing dream he had to come to terms to where he was now. And what he was there for. No time to be day dreaming when there were more important things in the matter.

And apparently he had stood there, in the middle of the street full of people, just enough time for Christa to notice him and was now looking at him with a face of almost…concern.

Shit. Just how much had he been admiring the stupid magnificent panting?

Oh.

She was now approaching him with that happy shy smile of hers.

“Hi Jean, um is there anything I can help you with? Maybe the painting you were looking at?” she said turning around to see the painting of nothing else than of a half almost naked man sitting under a tree.

Just great. Now, what could he do to not turn it into a situation of give me the painting of the man showing his ass please. Yeah this was fucked up. Literally giving up and thinking fuck in his head more times that he could count of he decided just to ask about it, no shame about it anyway.

Um. Okay Jean just…don’t fuck up. Yeah. That should work.

“Yeah hi Christa I was just uh passing by here like always do you know wondering and all that,” In scale of how much he was fucking up he really couldn’t take count “I was just em the painting its interesting the uh sunset is beautiful and the man really ehm shows his grace I MEAN beauty wait in the ah just?”

Smooth.

Really now, Christa was not only looking at him like he had some kind of problem of not being able to form _sentences_ but also with a funny looking kind of ‘I know what you want’ look. And if she really knew what he wanted he was actually surprised she hadn’t kicked him out or took out the painting and takes it to a safe place away from him.

What she did actually surprised him a lot more.

“Um Jean? Did you perhaps want to know about the painting or maybe even buy it? It’s no pressure of course! Just by the way you were looking at it, it was like you were so _immersed_ in it and I just thought that maybe you would want to make an offer. The business sure could use it…”

With that Jean was left really looking at her and realizing that yeah, it was true and her business wasn’t exactly the best, having a lot of art was amazing and all that but the people in here didn’t have exactly the luxury to go and spend it in things like this, so her only buyers may be the people from above with pockets full of money looking for something that they thought was new but was probably stolen from someone they knew. Christa really did try all by her own, in the same way that we all tried, just hoping to gain something in the process and not failing and succumbing to the suffering of the world we lived in.

While he was thinking in that, on Jean’s face had formed a look of sorrow and soon she looked up at him really nervous and said with a smile.

“Oh dear, haha um don’t get me wrong Jean I didn’t mean anything by that I’m not pressuring you to buy it I’m fine, really! If only you knew how many bourgeois come and buy this things is ridiculous really. But that aside what do you think of it? Why did it get you attention so much I wonder?” That she said seriously like really wanting to know what was so special in the painting, she turned over to look at it with the amount of time to really analyze it and the meaning behind it.

But it was that there really was no meaning. Neither Jean knew what could possibly have stroked him in such a way. He appreciated beauty in all its forms but this was… different. He couldn’t put his finger in it and that bothered him.

So he decided to do what he always did. Ignore it and move on.

The thing, no matter how spectacular the painting of the man could be, was that it wasn’t real, or if it ever had been sure it wouldn’t have happen in Jinae where humanity dreams came to die.

Something so beautiful couldn’t be surrounded with the filth of the ones of us.

“Thanks for the concern Christa but I’m alright, I swear, I just came here on business” he gave her a smile and decided to give a little last look at the painting and the man in there, farewell my love, it was good while it lasted “Actually I have to go and meet up with Eren that casually is with your girlfriend, want me to give her something for you?” He asked nicely, it was the least he could do after literally standing at the front of her stand for so long looking like an idiot. Which he was in a way, no doubt about that.

“Oh Jean the things I want to give her you couldn’t possible give her for me.” with that she smiled and I swear there was a moment like something dark passed through her eyes and disappeared instantly making Jean blush a little and scratch the back of his head. This girl could also be dangerous remember that, he told himself.

“Well, um, it was nice to see you.” And with that he kept walking.

He thinks he may have seen Christa waving at him and giving him a good bye wave, but he couldn’t be really sure.

After all he only saw the painting.

 

* * *

 

 That sure had been… something. He didn’t get moments like that a lot so it was weird not knowing how to handle them. Something good happening to him wasn’t something he knew how to deal with.

And so he decided just to go to the end of the street around the corner, where Ymir’s stand was, looking for Jaeger and continued walking.

This time making sure not to get too distracted by anything. Or anyone.

 

* * *

 

Finally what it seemed too had taken forever, he was there.

Ymir’s trash, as he liked to call it, the place where everyone no matter the age could find anything they wanted at a reasonable price. It was pretty much a mixture of a lot of things put together that had one thing in alike.

All of them stolen from the poor fools who failed of grace from the gang trio, that being Connie, Sasha and sadly that include Jean too.

It wasn’t like they had all just decided to do it, but it had become a costume when they hadn’t had anything better to do in their teenage years, and as a form of entertainment what could be better than to see the faces of old grumpy adults when you took away their precious belongings?

That was the life.

It was Ymir the one that had come along the way and suggested why not to make profits out of it, or even put it into a good use, and by that it meant money, and with Ymir you couldn’t go wrong in choosing the money.

Connie and Sasha were no longer so much active in the ‘steal and run’ from the old days like Jean was, but that didn’t matter, they having their own business and all but having what they had collected all over the years was more than enough to still be making money out of it. Jean still contributed when he liked to and Ymir was the one in charge of either selling or trading the items, but that didn’t mean she was out of the play.

He couldn’t even count the times she had sold something of the stolen merchandise to some dumb bourgeois and at the same time in doing the exchange robbing something of the man the minute he turned away.

He would look at her like saying “Again? I mean how you even do it.” Because he really thought of it as a true ability. To which she would only respond “What? It’s called equivalent exchange. It is only fair my dear dumb Jean.” To which Jean would look amazed by it and turn away.

Jean was good at deceiving people, but he really didn’t want to put against Ymir because he couldn’t be sure of what could happen. And he didn’t want to find out.

As he was approaching he could already hear Jaeger shouting at Ymir something with the words “He insulted the Sina’s!” and also “It was only fair that I beat the crap out of him.” Something among those lines. Boy he wanted to know how that would go with Mikasa at the end.

He approached them before they even realized he was there.

“And so Jaeger finally could fill his sense of revenge and everyone lived happily ever after. The end” With that Jean clapped his hands together “I know, actually being able to hit something other than a wall is an amazing thing to happen to you but remember we’re here for other things.”

"Jean boy, always good to have you, may I say you look rather stylish?” with that she grinned knowing perfectly where did this clothes had come from. “What’s the occasion eh, finally decided to marry the idiot cursing you over there?”

“HEY I’M STILL HERE YOU KNOW” said Jaeger almost punching the table of the stand where various wallets and pocket watches were. “First I choke in my own fist than to have anything to do with Kirstein” he said with a look of disgust directed at Jean.

“Your hurt me Jaeger. Words can hurt remember that, not as much as a knife tho. Remember that too.” Jean said pulling out a knife that was lying in the table for sale. For sure he could put it to good use for a lot more reasons.

“Your fist won’t be the only thing he’ll be choking with after the cutie coming here finishes with you tho.” Ymir said pointing at a blond guy with a curious look in him; Jean guessed it must be the glasses he was wearing and the book he had with him that gave him a little off vibe to be in this kind of place looking like that, like he didn’t belong in here.

At that Eren turned around so fast it almost minimized his blush mixed with anger and a tiny ‘shut the fuck up’ back at her that almost got missed by the boy arriving where they were and Eren showing a great smile.

“Hi Armin how’ve been? What em what brings you here? Heh.” He said smiling while scratching his neck and trying not to look much at the eyes of the guy named Armin.

Oh there it was. The blush had come back this time pretty noticeable and not ready to go anywhere.

The guy Armin smiled back at him but was a little throw off, the reason being of why were a girl who sold knives Jean who was holding it were looking at them so carefully.

Oh shit right. Uhhh manners and that shit.

Just when he was about to turn and say hi to the blond guy he saw in the vest the guy was wearing one of the things that most repulsed Jean and made him turn his whole face to a one of contempt.

The Royal symbol. It was a big red rose with a lot of petals that made it look beautiful but at the end there were spines that made you think beware, beauty is not always what it looks like.

That was one of the principals symbols they had in the coordinates of the palace to which Jean couldn’t hold any longer and decided to forget the boy and turn to talk to Ymir.

He wasn’t going to deal with this kind of shit. Not right now.

“Hey whoa there, put the knife down Jeannie boy.” Said Ymir raising both of her hands in sign of being joking but also making Jean notice how tightly he had been holding the knife. He put in back at the table and saw her.

“Good boy Jean good boy maybe now you can actually calm down and do some business with me that seem okay for you?” she was asking more for the pleasure of teasing that from actually asking him. If it weren’t for the money they made, he wouldn’t be there in the first place.

“Yeah I’m fine _thank you_ for your concern Ymir,” he said sarcastically so she would get it “you just know how I can’t take the garbage coming from the higher ups, especially the left overs of the royal family.” He said with the intent for the boy to hear him and if he did, he didn’t show it. Damn he had hoped to hurt him but well there was always a knife…

“Get you, but what can I tell you, only learn to live with them and their environment, the easier to fool them and send them back running at the top of those damn stairs,” she said grinning at him, and now that he thought about it Ymir was the one that had to deal with them the most, so she must have to know pretty much about their ways, and also a lot to put up with for the sake of a good trading. Bunch of assholes “So, what do you have for me this time?” she said with a vicious look.

Jean started to took of the clothes he had been carrying since not so much hours ago and handed them to Ymir so she could estimate the value of them.

“Everything seems to be in order so I get today was good eh? The day an autocrat decides to think and a bourgeois not to be fooled is the day we’ll be doomed,” she then smiled to herself with that “so I guess we’ll live like kings forever!” she threw her arms in the air and started laughing.

Jean found that funny enough to remember all the times a silly well known owner of something had trusted Jean, thinking there was good in his heart when there actually wasn’t was enough to make him laugh a little.

When he looked up he soon noticed that Jaeger was alone again and heading up to them.

“What your girlfriend left you already?” Jean said mockingly, it was either that or punching his stupid face for being so friendly with people of the castle. Oh well it would do.

“Believe or not Armin is a childhood friend of both Mikasa and I, so shove it up your ass, he’s nice and well you didn’t think that I wouldn’t have some connections inside the monarchy didn’t you?” he leaned in so that Jean could hear him more clearly “we _are_ planning to kidnap a member of the monarchy don’t you remember? Have that in mind and tell me how it turns up.” He moved away and grinned.

“Really fucking hate you Jaeger, can’t believe we’re working together in this.”

“Oh shit you guys are? I can’t miss that! It’ll be the fight of the century oh god at least let me invite Christa to have someone to hold on to when the two of you start bitch lapping each other.” Ymir said looking excited.

Ymir could really stab in the back huh. Remind that for later.

“So Ymir you talked to him about the uniforms?” Eren said with a look of an amused puppy.

“Oh right, no I forgot, we got distracted with you and your crush talking like blushing virgins so yeah ops forgot.” She said waving her hand like it was nothing.

And we’re back.

“OKAY FINE FUCK OFF GUYS JUST AGH,” Eren was in between bursting like a tomato and murdering a pack of cats. With Jaeger there were always those two options. “THE PLAN IS TO FUCKING GET UNIFORMS OF THE GUARDS AND THEN SNEAK TO THE CASTLE BY LEVI’S COMANDS OKAY?! FUCK AND THANKS SEE YOU BOTH HOPEFULLY NEVER GOOD BYE.” And with that he went away muttering words like ‘gonna kill them’ and ‘where the fucking is knife when you need it’. Eren Jaeger ladies and gentlemen.

“So uh yeah I think that’s pretty much it I guess…” Ymir said confused with the sudden outburst of Jaeger, “So don’t worry about it I’m sure I can get them for you and in difference of Jaeger I don’t have to kiss ass _literally_ from the higher ups to get it. I know my way around people.” She winked at him and for some reason the idea that she and Christa made a great couple passed through my mind.

Thinking about Christa immediately left him thinking about the manin the painting and just… the words were inexplicable.

He couldn’t get deep in something that could drag him in a crucial moment, but what could he do if he was already too deep without him even realizing it?

“I saw your girlfriend before coming here, I would say she says hi but what she actually says I’m not sure if it’s meant for my ears, so you should go see her when you’re over.” He said.

“Ohh the babe how I miss her. We barely ever see each other, WHY THE HELL DID I PICK THE ONE PLACE THAT DOESN’T HAVE A VIEW OF HERS ARGH very well then I’ll come to my princess as soon as sunset comes.” Ymir said while bowing a little. Okay. Better pretend that didn’t happened yeah. “So what are you going to do now Jeanbo? Wonder the crappy streets of the Pit?”

Hmm what to do indeed. There weren’t many things he had the urge to do or were already taken care of so nothing in his mind ringed the bell.

Wait a minute. Bells… of a store.

A particular one located in the Pit. Not so far from here.

Fuck.

Well, it couldn’t hurt him much to go over there a little while.

It wouldn’t kill him.

He hoped.

“I think I’m gonna head over to the pair of idiots down the street so… wish me the fuck luck.” Jean said almost resigned to go to his grave, and worst by his own will.

“HAHA OH YOU’RE FUCKED. Say hello to those idiots for me and tell them that no I won’t sell those things in here. I want people to keep buying stuff from me not to run away.” Ymir said with a scared look and shivers.

“Well then I think I’ll be going then.”

“Hey whoa wait a moment there,” she stopped him as he was about to go “what were you doing in her stand? You usually never go to anything other than in your drunken encounters so what was it this time? What could have made you stop and look?” she said with a mixture of curiousness but also enjoyment.

Was it right to tell someone that you think have found the most amazing thing that anyone can hope to find in this shitwhole and that by looking at it, stupid or not for it was _just a painting_ , but in a way it gave you a feeling like no other and that it was so _big_ by something so _small_ that there were absolutely no words to describe it?

Maybe it was maybe it wasn’t but for Jean he decided that maybe some things were better just only for him to know.

But the thought of never seeing that painting again… the way the sunset rose over the valley, the branches of the olive tree greener than anything he had ever seen with the image of a boy so incredibly shining it could melt the heart of a broken one, it was just a shame.

He took a pocket of golden coins he had with him and threw it to Ymir.

“Give it to Christa, she’ll know what to do.”

“But what, hey NO! EXPLAIN JEAN EXPLAIN!” Ymir shouted to him from the behind the stand.

But Jean just kept on walking the end of the street smiling.

 

* * *

 

 This was it.

He had had a good life. Actually no, it had been a real shitty one. Damn that didn’t make him feel any better for what he was about to do.

Well to hell with it, the quicker it goes the faster it’ll be over.

He entered the store. It had a sign that since long old once had contained the name of an _actual_ bakery, but now the sign fitted pretty accurate to the products they sold.

‘The worst pies in The Pit’

At least they were honest, that was a given. And with resignation and fear he entered the bakery.

As soon as he entered he was greeted from both Sasha and Connie almost tackling him down the floor.

“JEEEEEEEEEAAAAN WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL THESE YEARS” Dear, dear and sweet Sasha said when he stopped himself from tumbling down and could be steady in his feet to actually react to something else apart of his name in a very high pitched voice.

“Guys it hasn’t even been 2 days! And this time you can’t blame it in the alcohol its past noon you can’t possibly be this drunk at this hour when your shop is open.”

“Weeell if you say it like _that_ it just make us look bad Jean” said Connie making him doubt of how many drinks they already had.

Yeah he should definitely get new friends.

It had been so long since for some reason Sasha and Connie had decided to have their own bakery.

I mean of course who didn’t remember the mud pies Sasha did at sadly still thirteen and the horrible experiments that all of us (especially me) suffered by Connie and his ‘tastes good or bad’ contests, that were pretty much Connie handing you a piece of bread and never telling you what was in it until you had bitten it, and depending on what it was either you ended up chewing a rock or throwing up and Connie giving the excuse that ‘Come on it was only sugar and slugs it couldn’t have tasted that bad!’

Eventually yes, they improved their method _thank god for that_ and finally decided why not have their own places to be creative with food.

Everyone here in the Pit had to find something that gave them a motive to keep on living in the piece of crap it was, so that at least that something wouldn’t drown you and you’d end up hanging yourself in your home.

Due to the demands of the crown towards the habitants of Jinae and the taxes it was _barely_ possible for anyone to have a normal life, and the pair of idiots with their bakery were part of those affected ones, if there wasn’t any people to consume their goods then there was no business, and then no income for them to keep their dreams up.

Families with little children were doomed, and while the parents did everything they could it just wasn’t enough. It would never be enough. Not for the crown. The bureaucrats, the bourgeois and much less the Royal Family whom didn’t give two shits about us.

It got Jean so angry that he almost forgot where he was and that his friends were looking at him with concerned looks on their faces.

“Jean are you okay?” Connie asked him this time serious. “You want to sit down or something? Here sit I’ll bring you something.”

He looked around and there was nothing but empty spaces where the bread used to occupy it. He remembered the days when they had just opened the shop and both were so full of excitement they celebrated for a whole week; everyone had been worried since then but knew somehow they could do it, but then bureaucracy happened and the dream was over.

For all of us and anyone who _dared_ believing in something better.

“Here you go, hey I know it’s not much but it’s what it is right Sasha?” he asked Sasha while handing me a plate with half loaf of bread with mold on the sides and a cup of beer.

“Yup, so eat up cause we don’t want you to have a whole in your stomach alright?” said Sasha smiling ever so brightly at him that almost made him cry.

“Thanks” was all that he could say in those moments.

Sometimes the reality crushed him like nothing else in the world ever would. Knowing that this was what your life would be like forever it just, weighted. There were no more words around it.

So he took a sip of his drink, he really needed it, and a bite to the not full of mold parts of his bread.

It tasted rotten.

Just like the people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh really love this kind of finales srsly  
> I enjoyed writting Eren more than i thought i would rlly u can hope see more of him and the rest as it develops ;D  
> Updates are and will be weird forever i just know it mostly because I'm and anxious mess is all i can say and sometimes specially this one I have shitty weeks like we all do and it can just get better from that, so this story really brings me joy believe it or not bc i know there's people out there reading the shit i write and hope it can entertain you a little bc honestly for me this is my masterpiece, like looking at art. Look at that, I made that. There's no greater feeling than that.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll just let that sink in c:  
> Oh and also here's my tumblr about the #fic:two worlds  
> [dianutsthecactus](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/dianutsthecactus)  
> And my main tumblr where I post random shit  
> [fangirloffabulousnesspdf](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/fangirloffabulousnesspdf)
> 
> Feel free to talk to me anytime! Ask, anon, message whatvs


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